13th February 2015 - Issue 13

Head’s IntroductionAlthough it is, no doubt, something that every new generation feels, it does seem to be true that life is busier for young people these days than ever before. While this is a good thing in many ways, it does mean that students can tend to become overly pragmatic and instrumental in their approach to tasks or even towards things that they enjoy, which means that they can do things too quickly and avoid things that might take that little bit longer.

In view of this, the holidays are an opportunity to think about those things which might take a little more investment of time and to engage in activities that are perhaps ends in themselves, rather than means towards an end. I would encourage the girls to think about using the time for taking an intellectual or a physical journey, in which the journey, rather than the destination, is the important thing.

In academic terms, I would encourage the students to try to find an aspect or area of their favourite subject that no-one has ever taught them. They should be looking for entirely unexplored land. I would ask them

to research and read, delighting in the process of uncovering more and more about this area, whatever it might be. In fact, the more obscure the better, as they will be finding out things that very few people know. This is, in itself, an exciting process. And they should end all their research and reading by thinking of a further question that they would like the answer to, thereby becoming the author of their own search for knowledge.

Another thing I would encourage is a physical journey. We may have lived in an area for years and not even explored some of the local landmarks and buildings that surround us. Or, we may have an opportunity to go further afield. Either way, planning a journey to discover new sights and experiences, however small, is valuable. Again, the journey should be self-motivated and self-directed with any adult present being a follower, not a leader. The pleasure of mapping out a short walk or a longer series of walks is in enjoying the freedom of choice that we, as adults, often deny to children as we plan their world around them. The journey itself is the adventure or,

sometimes, a way of creating a space away from other things to find out more about yourself and your world.

That is a long-winded way of saying that we should take time to do the simple things, such as reading and walking, but if these simple things are shaped and directed by the pupils themselves, there is something important and symbolic about that in an age in which the world arrives at your doorstep (or screen) every minute of every hour of every day. Ignore that pre-digested world for a time and seek to build your own.

As Franz Kafka alluded, even a short walk can take a lifetime, given all the potential avenues in every journey: “My grandfather used to say: Life is astoundingly short. To me, looking back over it, life seems so foreshortened that I scarcely understand, for instance, how a young man can decide to ride over to the next village without being afraid that - not to mention accidents - even the span of a normal happy life may fall far short of the time needed for such a journey.” I wish you all a wonderful and restful half-term.

White Out!

White Out, the newly created Scholars’ Production at Roedean, ran for three nights this week. The piece was an hour-long new play, written by David Jackson (BBC Radio 4, ITV2), with workshop input from the girls themselves early in the process.

Fran Amewudah-Rivers played the main character; she was in stark contrast to the white-clad chorus around her, whose news-style narration of events gave a context to her daily struggle, as a single, working mother, to balance work and family-life. A snow-day snaps her out of her daily grind and allows her to reconnect with her daughter, because “everyone loves to build a snowman”. The slick characterisation, along with the ethereal appearance and sound of the piece, created

a striking and unarguably contemporary piece of theatre that had both a heart and a smile, as well as a political and social edge.

This was theatre from 2015, and was hugely enjoyed by students and adults alike.

£470 for the Lugoj OrphanageAt the end of last week, Dr Ross Barrand gave an informal charity concert to raise funds to support an orphanage in Romania. He took students from a previous school to the orphanage in 2002, and has given regular concerts since then to continue to donate valuable funds to it. The concert, entitled “Love Songs: Bliss and Tragedy”, was an eclectic mix of Gershwin, Emeli Sandé, Rod Stewart, and John Denver. Alison Whitestone and Glenn Hawkes were outstanding accompanists – despite playing the guitar for 30 years, this was Glenn’s first public performance, and he was a natural.

Roedean’s first Barber’s Shop Quartet (Fran Amewudah-Rivers, Aanya Hirdaramani, and Constance Lee, with RB) stole the show with tightly harmonious renditions of “When Pa” and “Mister Sandman”. The Old Ref, complete with cheese, wine, and atmospheric lighting, complemented the relaxed informality of the event perfectly. Staff, parents, and Sixth Form girls (with the lyrics on their phones) sang along to the Beatles, and were extremely generous with their donations. Look out for the next concert in the Michaelmas term!

Chinese New Year celebrationsWith Chinese New Year just around the corner during half-term, we were all treated to full immersion in Chinese culture by the Pre-A Level students this week. They had gone to a huge effort to decorate their classrooms beautifully, with information about the Chinese zodiac displayed, and “stalls” where visitors could learn about calligraphy and fortune-telling. We could also try our hand at traditional paper-cutting and lantern-making, as well taking part in a graded chopstick competition – the challenge of moving dry pasta and mung-beans from one bowl to the next was clearly too much for some. Everyone had a great time, and learnt a great deal too!

Iceland, here we come!Nineteen girls from L5 to 6.2 are going to Iceland over half-term – they cannot wait to spend five days there on a joint Physics and Geography trip. Last week, Augusta, an Icelandic student currently reading English at Oxford University, kindly came to Roedean to tell us about life in Iceland (wear lots of layers in the winter), the culture (she played us a ‘Spring’ melody and a slower ‘Winter’ melody on her violin), the food (we had Icelandic ‘haggis’), and the best souvenirs to buy (chocolate milk and wool clothes). We were also able to prepare ourselves for any eventuality by learning the Icelandic for ‘Where is the loo?’, ‘I love you’ and at least 6 different words for snow. It will be a great trip - fingers crossed for the Northern Lights!

World Book Day Events’ PreviewWith World Book Day fast approaching on 5 March, the English Department and Library are planning a number of events, including a Shakespeare film competition, a book-themed chapel service, author visits for Key Stage 3, and a book recommendation’ student-fest. All this week, staff have been asked for their top ten favourite books, and the lists will be circulated to students and staff on World Book Day. Here is a sneak preview of the top five books so far, from a total of 370 recommendations from staff;

■■ Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien■■ To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee■■ The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini■■ Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks■■ Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut

Perhaps you should give one of them a go over half-term – happy reading!

13th February 2015 - Issue 13HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Page 2

Chamber Music Workshop at RoedeanThe chamber music workshop on Monday 9th February gave some of our more advanced musicians the challenging opportunity to perform and receive intensive coaching from Alison Moncrieff Kelly, a distinguished cellist, adjudicator, and examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.

In preparation for upcoming performances at the Chapel Royal, Brighton on Tuesday 3rd March, and St Laurence Church, Falmer on Saturday 21st March, all ensembles gave a complete performance of their repertoire prior to the coaching sessions.

■ MENDELSSOHN PIANO TRIO Hindy Lai – PianoHannah Falcone – ViolinAanya Hirdaramani – Cello

■ STRING QUARTETIsobel Swaysland – ViolinTara McMaster – ViolinOonagh Mandal – ViolaAimee de Havas – Cello

■ HAYDN PIANO TRIOBerniya Hamie – Piano Freya Stewart – Violin Dora Goode – Cello

Some of the day’s training focused on key points to bring the performances to new heights of musical accomplishment, such as ensemble skills, musical structures, and timbral balance.

The String Orchestra, one of our premier ensembles, with able string players from every year-group in the school, took part in the workshop, preparing a performance of Purcell’s G minor Chaconne, also to be played in March at the Chapel Royal.

The workshop was a great success, and we are certain that the girls will be more confi dent in their performance skills, and more in tune with each other when they play. Veronica Fewkes

The Owl ExperienceTo be so close to such beautiful birds, and be able to hold out a hand for the owls to come to the glove, before taking fl ight back to their handler was a wonderful experience.

Twenty students from all year-groups in the school thoroughly enjoyed seeing the owls up close and personal! Owls of varied shapes and sizes featured in the event, and the barn owl in the picture, was lovely to watch in fl ight.

It was a most enjoyable and fact-fi nding afternoon for both students and staff , and the owls too – twit twoo!

Roedean bags and key-ringsThe Parents’ Guild are selling Roedean bags and key-rings, as advertised in the Parents’ Bulletin –

if you would like to buy one, please email Louise Lawrence on lmlawrence2012@gmail.com

13th February 2015 - Issue 13HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Page 3

The Parents’ Guild are selling Roedean bags and key-rings, as advertised in the Parents’ Bulletin – lmlawrence2012@gmail.comlmlawrence2012@gmail.com

The Parents’ Guild are selling Roedean bags and key-rings, as advertised in the Parents’ Bulletin –

Brighton MarathonRoedean is hoping to recruit 40 volunteers to ‘man’ a water-station at this year’s Brighton Marathon on Sunday 12th April 2015. It will be at mile 10, so why not come along and soak up the atmosphere and hand out water to the runners.

If you are a keen runner and fancy entering a race, then the mini-mile races on Saturday 11th April could be just what you’re looking for! Medals and kit bags are available to all runners.

If you’re interested, e-mail Miss Andrew on kan@roedean.co.uk

BMW League ReportTuesday night saw Roedean 1st team play their last match of the season in the BMW League, against a women’s team, Zimmer’s. A number of key players were absent due to other commitments, so Gabby Riley, Maggie El Beleidi, and Francesca Seaborne (all U15) and Saoirse McGilligan (2nd team) stepped up as reserves to fill in – they all did an excellent job.

The team started out strong in the first quarter, leading 16-9 goals at quarter-time, but Zimmer’s began using experience to their advantage, slowly clawing their way back in the 2nd quarter, with Roedean only 4 goals up at half-time. Gabby Riley and Reihaanah Mamdouh worked exceptionally well in the goal circle together, capitalising on the majority of turnovers and balls fed in, however careless mistakes down the court cost Roedean the third quarter, with Zimmer’s up by 2 going into the last quarter. The tension built, and it was goal for goal in the last quarter, but Zimmer’s played a much safer game in the final minutes, and they won 44-41.

Sophie Sheaf played particularly well, making sharp dodges and accurate passes into the circle, and was awarded Player of the Match. Despite the outcome, this was a very exciting and high scoring final game of the season for Roedean – all players should be congratulated on their efforts.

Volleyball vs Moira HouseFollowing several intense, well attended practice sessions, Roedean’s volleyball players travelled to a familiar Moira House to put their skills to the challenge. With team-spirit bubbling, the girls took to the court as if it were their own, aiming accurate serves, digs, and spikes over the net. Unfortunately, the girls were slow to find their competitive confidence and were unable to build any momentum until the closing stages of the second set. Nevertheless, all girls took away valuable experiences and each has a particular area for skill development in this increasingly popular sport at Roedean.

Basketball ClubBasketball is the biggest, busiest, and fastest-growing sport at Roedean! With attendance at the club consistently over twenty, this girl-driven competitive sport provides a social platform to develop skills critically, establishing a clear understanding of the regulations of basketball, and work up a sweat through hard work, determination and, perhaps more importantly, fun and laughter! Dan Frisby said of the sport, “Basketball is like photography, if you don’t focus, all you have is the negative”

and this quotation by Derek Jeter is relevant to all sports: “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” Most of all, basketball is a great way to get your mind off things and also to express yourself. It is a sport that can exercise your whole body. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make friends, get fit and have fun! The club is on Thursdays, 17:30 – 18:15.

13th February 2015 - Issue 13HEAD’S WEEKLY REVIEW

Page 4

We welcome contributions from all parts of the Roedean community. If you have something you would like featured in the Headmaster’s Newsletter, please email: news@roedean.co.uk